FROM   THE  LIBRARY  OF 

REV.   LOUIS    FITZGERALD    BENSON.  D.  D. 

BEQUEATHED    BY   HIM   TO 

THE    LIBRARY   OF 

PRINCETON  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 


55^  S 


Dlvtsioa 
SectloB 


VOL.  XI.  NO.  4. 


THE 


Journal  of  Pedagogy 


Edited  by  ALBERT  LEONARD 


OCTOBER,   1898 


EDITORIAL .^^ 257 

MUSICAL  INTERESTS  OF  CHILDREN.      Fanny  B.  Gates 265 

««»— — — i««— I— — «w»l»1»l»»»»»  I       I         III        III    I  mm               III   I                                        I      II'  " 

PREPARATION  FOR  THE  TEACHING  OF  SECONDARY  ENGLISH.     Albert  S.  Cook  284 

RATIONAL  PSYCHOLOGY  FOR  TEACHERS.    W.  T.  Harris 292 

SOME  ADOLESCENT  REMINISCENCES.      M.  V.  O'Shea 299 

SOME  THOUGHTS  ON  FICTION  AS  A  FACTOR  IN  EDUCATION.     C.  W.  Sdper.  ...  317 

NEW  BOOKS 327 


JOURNAL  OF  PEDAGOGY 
Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

Entered  at  Post-office  at  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  as  Second-Class  Matter 

Published  Quarterly  at  $1.50.  Single  Numbers,  50  Cents. 

UNIVERSITY  PRESS 


JOURNAL  OF  PEDAGOGY. 


The  issue  of  the  JOURNAL  OF  PEDAGOGY  for  October,  J  898,  completes  the 
eleventh  volume  of  the  magazine.  It  has  been  the  aim  of  the  editor  to  conduct  an 
educational  magazine  solely  in  the  interest  of  sound  education  and  correct  teachings 
and  that  there  is  a  place  for  such  a  journal  is  shown  by  the  cordial  support  the  publi- 
cation receives  from  the  educational  leaders  of  the  country. 

Professor  M.  V.  CShea,  University  of  Wisconsin,  says:  "I  have  become  very  favorably  impressed 
with  the  high  character  of  the  editorials  and  contributions  of  the  JouRNAi,  OF  Pedagogy.  It  oc- 
cupiesa  dignified  and  exalted  position  in  educational  journalism  in  our  country,  and  I  wish  that  every 
one  interested  in  the  problems  of  modem  education, — teacher,  parent,  and  citizen, — might  have 
opportunity  to  peruse  its  pages.  One  may  be  sure  to  find  educational  matters  discussed  in 
this  journal  in  a  broad,  scholarly  fashion,  and  at  the  same  time  in  a  cultured,  pleasing  style, 
characteristics  which  pedagogical  writing  too  frequently  lacks." 

Dr.  Nicholas  Murray  Butler,  in  the  Educational  Review,  says  of  the  Journai,  OF  PEDAGOGY:  "Its 
editorials  are  written  in  admirable  temper,  its  reviews  of  books  are  honest  and  discriminating, 
and  there  is  a  happy  absence  of  the  vulgar  personal  items  and  hysterical  rant  that  disfigure  the 
pagesofwhat  we  have  previously  designated  as  the  'fly-by-night' portion  of  the  educational  press." 

President  Charles  F.  Thwing,  Western  Reserve  University,  says :  "  To  me  the  value  of  the 
Journal  of  Pedagogy  consists  in  its  vitality  and  comprehensiveness ;  it  touches  questiona 
which  living  educators  are  now  discussing.  It  is  also  free  from  that  peril  which  besets  education- 
al journals, — narrowness.     The  Journal  OF  Pedagogy  impressesmeas  at  once  broad  and  living." 

The  Dial,  the  ablest  literary  journal  in  America,  says:  "The  Journal  of  Pedagogy  takes 
high  rank  among  our  educational  reviews.  Its  contents  are  varied  and  dignified,  while  its  edi- 
torial comment  is  serious  in  tone,  advocating,  as  it  does,  progressive  and  praiseworthy  ideals. 
No  teacher  who  adds  this  excellent  paper  to  his  list  will  regret  having  done  so." 

Dr.  John  Kennedy,  Superintendent  of  Schools,  Batavia,  N.  Y.,  says  :  "I  think  that  the  Jour- 
nal of  Pedagogy  is  first  both  in  the  quality  and  make-up  of  its  articles  and  its  mechanical 
execution.  I  think  we  have  no  better  exposition  of  the  drift  of  educational  thought  than  the 
Journal  of  Pedagogy." 

It  is  no  longer  possible  to  supply  complete  sets  of  the  Journal  of  Pedagogy.  Only  a 
limited  number  of  copies  of  Vol.  XI.  can  be  furnished.  While  the  supply  lasts,  bound 
volumes  will  be  sent,  post  paid,  on  receipt  of  $1.85;  unbound  $1.50. 

Address, 

JOURNAL  OF  PEDAGOGY, 

Syracuse,  N.  Y. 


^  NOV    2    1932  ^ 


MUSICAL  INTEKESTS  OF  CHILDREN.* 

To  ascertain  what  songs  children  like  and  their  reasons, 
the  following  questions  were  asked  :  I.  What  one  song  do  you 
like  best?  Give  your  reason.  II.  Name  some  other  songs 
you  like  and  tell  why  you  like  them. 

The  papers  of  2,000  children,  one  hundred  boys  and  one 
hundred  girls  of  each  age,  covering  the  ages  from  seven  and 
under,  to  sixteen  and  over,  were  collated  with  the  following 
results.  They  were  collated  as  First  Choice,  Other  Choice, 
Favorite  Songs,  Reasons.      The  songs  were  classified  as : 

I.  Social,  including  Folk,  Negro,  Home,  School,  Love. 

II.  Religious,  including  Church,  Sunday-School,  and 
Christmas. 

III.  National,  including  Patriotic  and  War. 

IV.  Street. 

V.  Miscellaneous,  including  Sea,  Opera,  College. 

The  same  classification  was  used  for  first  and  other  choice. 
Of  the  2,000  children  only  four  failed  to  make  a  choice,  two 
boys,  because  they  could  not  sing,  said  they  had  no  favorite  song. 
Two  girls  could  not  make  a  choice  of  a  favorite  song,  but  gave 
a  list  of  several  they  liked. 

SOCIAL    SONGS. 

Under  Social  the  two  largest  subdivisions  are  Home  and 
School.  The  Home  songs  at  the  age  of  seven  and  under  are 
lullabies  and  baby  songs.  Twenty-two  per  cent,  of  the  girls  and 
12  per  cent,  of  the  boys  of  seven  choose  these.  Eighteen  per  cent, 
of  the   girls  and    15   per  cent,  of  the   boys  of  eleven  are  the 

*In  the  preparation  of  this  paper  I  wish  to  acknowledge  the  assistance  by  notes  and 
suggestions  of  Mr.  Will  S.  Monroe,  of  the  Westfield,  Massachusetts,  Normal  School. 

For  test  papers  from  pupils  I  am  indebted  to  teachers  and  superintendents  in  the 
following  cities  and  towns:  Boston,  Springfield,  West  Springfield,  Chicopee,  Monson, 
Brimfield,  Warren,  West  Brookfield,  Acto,  Harvard,  and  Sturbridge,  Mass.,  Newport, 
R.  I.,  and  Stamford,  Ct. 


266  Journal  of  Pedagogy. 

maximum.  In  all  14i  per  cent,  of  the  girls  and  7  per  cent, 
of  the  boys  choose  Home  songs.  After  seven  years,  "  Home 
Sweet  Home  "  is  the  favorite,  a  greater  number  of  boys  than 
girls  choosing  it,   4  per  cent,  in  all. 

School  songs  begin  with  43  per  cent,  each  at  seven  years, 
going  down  to  2  per  cent,  of  the  girls  and  5  per  cent,  of  the 
boys  at  16  years.  Nineteen  per  cent,  of  the  entire  number  choose 
School  songs.  It  was  impossible  to  determine  the  favorite  as 
School  songs  are  local.  In  general  they  applied  to  Nature; 
"Spring,"  "Kobin's  Come,"  "The  Violet,"  "Who  Is  That 
Kissing  our  Baby  V  Some  of  the  tests  were  given  about  Christ- 
mas and  among  the  younger  children  the  choice  was  largely  of 
Christmas  songs  learned  at  school.  School  songs,  as  such,  do 
not  have  much  hold  upon  the  children,  as  the  decrease  in  per 
cent,  shows.  Of  the  1,445  School  songs  chosen,  both  first  and 
other  choice,  about  one-half  are  chosen  by  children  under 
10  years. 

Negro  melodies  appear  stronger  with  the  boys  than  with 
the  girls,  in  the  ratio  of  2  to  1.  Many  chose  darky  songs 
but  they  are  classified  under  Street  songs.  "Swanee  River"  is 
the  favorite,  then  "Massa's  in  the  Cold,  Cold,  Ground."  In 
my  own  school  J  gave  the  test  in  November.  To  see  what  the 
children  would  write  after  a  few  months  had  passed,  I  gave 
the  test  again  in  March.  During  the  winter  we  had  learned, 
among  other  songs,  "Swanee  River."  Thirty-three  per  cent, 
of  the  children  made  the  same  choice  as  at  first,  usually 
"America,"  but  33  per  cent,  chose  "Swanee  River."  The 
second  choice  was,  on  the  whole,  better  than  the  first. 

RELIGIOUS    SONGS. 

Religious  songs  commence  with  2  per  cent,  of  the  girls  and 
6  per  cent,  of  the  boys  at  7  years.  At  13  years  it  is  23  per 
cent,  of  the  girls  and  6  per  cent,  of  the  boys,  at  16  years,  27 
per  cent,  of  the  girls  and  21  per  cent,  of  the  boys.  In  all, 
18  per  cent,  choose  Religious  songs.  "Nearer,  My  God,  to 
Thee"  leads  the  list,  then  "Holy  City"  and  "Jesus,  Lover  of  my 


Musical  Interests  of  Children.  267 

Soul."  I  found  the  greatest  number  of  Religious  songs  among 
the  children  who  probably  hear  the  best  music.  "Ave  Maria" 
and  "The  Palms"  were  chosen  by  several  girls,  "The  Messiah" 
by  a  good  number  of  boys.  Christmas  songs  are  classed  under 
Religious.  Fourteen  per  cent,  of  the  girls  and  10  per  cent,  of 
the  boys  of  seven  years,  21  per  cent,  and  13  per  cent,  at  8 
years,  4  per  cent,  and  8  per  cent,  at  10  years,  none  above  14 
chose  Christmas  songs.  "Hang  up  the  Baby's  Stocking"  was 
the  favorite. 

NATIONAL  SONGS. 

Patriotic  and  War  songs  form  a  large  part  in  the  choice  of 
both  boys  and  girls.  Beginning  with  13  per  cent,  of  the  girls 
and  18  per  cent,  of  the  boys  at  7  years,  the  maximum  for  the 
girls  is  reached  with  29  per  cent,  at  12  years,  and  for  the  boys 
40  per  cent,  at  nine  y'ears.  In  all,  20  per  cent,  of  the  girls 
and  35  per  cent,  of  the  boys  choose  Patriotic  songs.  "Ameri- 
ca" leads,  with  13  J  per  cent,  of  the  girls  and  20  per  cent,  of 
the  boys.  '  'Star  Spangled  Banner"  comes  next,  a  few  choose 
"The  Marseillaise."  "Marching  Through  Georgia"  and 
'  'Yankee  Doodle"  lead  the  war  songs. 

STREET    SONGS. 

Street  songs  commence  with  3  per  cent,  of  the  girls  and 
5  per  cent,  of  the  boys  at  7  years.  The  maximum  is  16  per 
cent,  at  14,  with  the  girls  and  18  per  cent,  of  the  boys  at  15 
years.  At  the  age  of  16,  it  falls  to  4  per  cent,  of  the  girls  and 
7  per  cent,  of  the  boys.  Seven  per  cent,  of  the  girls,  10  per 
cent,  of  the  boys  choose  Street  songs.  While  many  of  these 
are  Darky  songs,  they  could  not  be  classed  as  Negro  melodies. 
"There'll  be  a  Hot  Time  in  the  Old  Town  To-night,"  "My 
Gal's  a  Highborn  Lady,"  "Rosy  O'Grady"  are  the  favorite 
Street  songs. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

Under  Miscellaneous  are  classed  Opera  music  and  songs 
of  the  Sea,  also  College  songs, — though  the  latter  might  have 
been  classified  as  social.     The  Opera  music  includes  airs  from 


268  Journal  of  Pedagogy. 

"William  Tell,"  "Robin  Hood,"  and  "Jack  the  Beanstalk," 
and  came  from  the  older  children.  "Anchored"  was  undoubt- 
edly learned  at  school,  as  the  choice  was,  for  the  most  part,  in 
one  school,  but  since  so  many  gave  as  a  reason  that  it  was  a 
song  of  the  Sea,  I  classified  it  as  such.  There  were  several 
other  songs  of  similar  nature  chosen. 

REASONS. 

Under  Reasons,  "Like  the  music"  comes  first  with  the 
girls,  20  per  cent.  With  the  boys,  "Patriotic"  leads,  18.4 
per  cent.  "Nice,  pretty,  or  sweet"  comes  second,  18.8  per 
cent,  of  the  girls,  16 A  per  cent,  of  the  boys;  "Association," 
15  per  cent,  of  the  girls,  13  per  cent,  of  the  boys;  "Like  the 
words,"  11  per  cent,  of  the  girls,  4.6  per  cent,  of  the  boys; 
"Patriotic,"  10  per  cent,  of  the  girls;  "Like  the  music,"  15.9 
per  cent,  of  the  boys;  "Religious,"  3  per  cent,  of  the  girls, 
2.8  per  cent,  of  the  boys;  "Lively,"  "Sad,"  4  per  cent,  each 
of   the  girls,  of  the  boys,  10  per  cent,  lively.,  1  per  cent.  sad. 

"Like  the  music"  or  "melody"  begins  with  6  per  cent, 
at  7  years,  increasing  to  29  per  cent,  at  16  yeai-s,  with  the 
girls;  with  the  boys  increasing  from  10  per  cent,  at  7  years  to 
20  per  cent,  at  16. 

"Nice,  pretty,  sweet"  reaches  the  maximum  at  8  years, 
44  per  cent,  of  the  girls,  33  per  cent,  of  the  boys.  With  the 
girls  it  falls  to  4  per  cent,  at  16  years,  with  the  boys  to  6  per 
cent.  "Association"  is  strongest  with  the  girls  at  7  years, 
32  per  cent.,  least  at  11  and  16,  10  per  cent.  For  the  boys 
the  maximum  is  19  per  cent,  at  13  years,  15  per  cent,  at  16 
years.  "Like  the  words"  increases  from  2  per  cent,  to  25  per 
cent  with  the  girls.  With  the  boys  the  maximum  is  8  per  cent, 
at  10  years. 

Patriotic  reasons  are  given  most  by  girls  of  12  years,  19 
per  cent.,  by  boys  of  11  and  15  years,  26  per  cent.  "Sad"  is 
given  as  a  reason  by  12  per  cent,  of  the  girls  of  14  years  and 
by  6  per  cent,  of  the  boys  of  12  years;  "Lively,"  9  per  cent, 
of  the  boys  of  15,  8  per  cent,  of  the  girls  of  11.     Of  Religious 


Musical  Interests  of  Children.  269 

reasons,  the  maximum  is  9  per  cent,  of  the  girls  at  13  years 
and  9  per  cent,  of  the  boys  at  16.  Guruey  in  "Power  of 
Sound"  says:  "  Should  you  ask  a  man  what  he  thought  of  a 
beautiful  building,  he  would  give  you  some  true  reason,  but 
catch  him  whistling  an  air  from  Mozart,  and  ask  him  why  he 
likes  it.  He  will  say,  'Because  it  is  sweet,'  and  probably 
think  you  a  fool  for  the  question."  About  20  per  cent,  of  the 
children  gave  this  reason.  Just  what  they  mean  is  hard  to 
decide,  but  probably  that  the  music  is  pleasing.  We  notice 
that  this  indefinite  reason  decreases  as  the  children  grow  older 
and  that  it  is  less  with  the  boys  than  with  the  girls. 

Words  and  music  together  form  a  strong  reason.  A  girl 
of  16  chooses  "The  Psalms"  on  account  of  the  depth  of  the 
music  and  the  religious  sentiment.  A  boy  of  13  says,  "  I  like 
Home  Sweet  Home,  Star  Spangled  Banner,  and  America  be- 
cause they  have  a  sweet  melody  and  excite  me  to  like  music 
more."  "Anchored"  is  chosen  by  a  large  number  who  give 
as  a  reason  that  the  words  and  music  seem  to  belong  to  each 
other.  A  girl  of  16  chooses  "  Tyrolese  Chorus"  because  the 
words  suit  the  music.  The  majority  of  those  who  chose  Negro 
melodies  gave   "melody"  as  the  reason. 

The  choice  of  songs  on  account  of  the  words  falls  below 
that  on  account  of  the  music,  but  increases  from  2  per  cent,  to 
25  per  cent,  of  the  girls.  "Lively"  or  "Fast"  and  "Sad" 
or  "  Slow"  are  about  even.  I  found  often  on  the  same  paper 
a  balancing,  as  it  were,  of  "  lively"  against  "sad"  or  "slow," 
"long"  against  "short;"  "sung  often"  against  "  not  often 
sung."  For  example:  "  I  like  Home  Sweet  Home  because  it 
is  sung  slowly,"  and  "  The  Only  Pebble  on  the  Beach  because 
it  is  sung  fast,"  from  a  girl  of  10.  Another  from  a  girl  of  11, 
"I  like  the  Lost  Chord  because  it  is  sung  often,"  and  "  What 
the  Bluebird  Said  because  it  is  not  often  used." 

TIME    OR    RHYTHM. 

Time  or  rhythm  is  very  strong  among  the  savage  tribes. 
Among  many  tribes  it  is  time  only,  harmony  is  wanting.      One 


270  Journal  of  Pedagogy. 

characteristic  of  rhythm  especially  marked  in  the  superior  musi- 
cal development  of  man,  and  taking  us  back  to  primeval  times 


is    the    dual   balance — commencing    with 


:jc:^ 


then    developing  into     X-*-i '  -r\f  *  *  -  -^     and    finally    into 


This    is    the  tune  the  child  plays    on 

his  first  drum.  However  simple  or  complicated  the  arrange- 
ment of  notes  within  the  bars,  the  number  is  based  on  two  or 
a  multiple  of  two.  We  are  made  symmetrically,  two  sides 
externally  alike.  This  results  in  alternate  motions  with  each 
side.  Thus  all  external  movement  is  double.  If  we  had  three 
arms  and  three  legs,  our  melodies  would  be  based  on  the  num- 
ber three.  The  sense  of  rhythm  is  so  essentially  a  sense  of 
movement  we  cannot  doubt  the  early  connection  of  music  and 
dancing. 

Any  one  who  watches  himself  or  other  people  as  they  listen 
to  music  will  perceive  that  the  pleasure  is  often  enhanced  by 
actual  rhythmical  movement.  Even  if  no  actual  movement 
occurs  the  tendency  is  there.  These  impulses  toward  move- 
ment are  no  sufiicicnt  reason  for  our  being  pleased  with  melody ; 
they  do  not  belong  to  the  aesthetic  region  at  all.  To  recall  a 
tune,  with  many  people,  the  rhythm  is  revived  first,  the  melody 
follows.  Time,  or  rhythm,  as  a  reason,  came  out  prominently 
on  the  children's  papers.  From  the  youngest  to  the  oldest, 
hwvement  was  strong.  A  girl  of  16  writes,  "I  like  Three 
Grenadiers  for  the  swing  and  rhythm  of  the  words  and  music." 
Many  of  the  street  songs  were  chosen  for  their  time,  they  are 
lively.  The  dance  instinct,  too,  appeared.  "  I  like  Hot  Time 
in  the  Old  Town,  because  it  is  a  fine  two-step."  The  same 
reason  for  choosing  this  song  was  given  by  several  of  the  girls. 
That  some  children  prefer  a  certain  time  or  movement  to  others 
is  often  proved.  One  little  child  could  be  quieted  only  by  the 
tune  of  "  Maryland,  My  Maryland;"  it  was  the  rhythm  of  that 
particular  tune  which  she  liked.     Among   the  savage   tribes 


Musical  Interests  of  Children.  271 

dancing  and  music  are  almost  inseparable.  One  traveler  among 
the  Nortla  American  Indians  said  he  could  but  wonder  by  what 
sentiments  their  dances  were  actuated,  their  grave  faces  were  in 
such  striking  contrast  to  their  rapid  movements.  The  Bushman 
sings  while  he  dances,  swaying  his  body  in  time  with  the  music, 
nor  does  he  cease,  till  exhausted  he  sinks  to  the  ground.  Among 
many  tribes  dancing  is  a  part  of  a  religious  rite.  The  symphony 
is  a  development  of  the  dance  melody.  It  has  been  explained 
that  the  auditory  nerves  stand  in  so  close  connection  with  the 
spinal  cord  that  we  may  say  dancing  is  a  sort  of  reflective  mo- 
tion caused  by  music.  Laura  Bridgeman  perceived  rhythm, 
arrangement  and  loudness  of  tone  through  the  vibrations  of  the 
soil. 

PATRIOTIC    REASONS. 

Chorley  believes  national  music  to  have  been  derived 
largely  from  the  dance.  He  says  that  this  class  of  music  has 
been  too  much  neglected  by  scientific  teachers  and  historians 
who  have  considered  it  in  the  light  of  raw  material.  Eleven  per 
cent,  of  the  girls  and  18  per  cent,  of  the  boys  made  their  choice 
for  patriotic  reasons.  There  were  a  few  who  chose  ' '  God  Save 
the  Queen"  as  their  country's  song,  one  who  chose  "  Dixie"  as 
the  patriotic  song  of  the  South.  A.  boy  of  13  says,  "The 
song  that  I  like  best  is  the  Marseillaise.  I  like  it  because  it 
rouses  me  up,  and  the  words  express  just  what  you  feel.  I 
also  like  Battle  Hymn  of  the  Kepublic  and  Austrian  National 
Hymn  because  the  words  mean  what  the  people  feel."  A  boy 
of  16  says,  "  I  like  best  the  French  National  Hymn.  It  is  so 
impressive,  fiery,  a  song  of  freedom,  its  tune  is  so  grand  and 
corresponds  so  well  with  the  words.  It  has  such  a  history  be- 
hind it  and  expresses  so  much  that  I  am  always  stirred  when  I 
hear  the  brilliant  old  Marseillaise.  I  also  like  the  Russian 
National  Hymn,  America,  the  Bulgarian  songs  for  their  flow- 
ing and  gentle  tunes  and  their  significance  to  me  as  distinctly 
national."  A  boy  of  14  says,  "I  like  America  best,  and  I 
think  every  boy  who  lives  in  America  ought  to  choose  that 
song  first."       The  instinct  of  patriotism  is  stronger  with  the 


272  Journal  of  Pedagogy. 

boys  than  with  the  girls,  the  per  cent,  choosing  patriotic  songs 
is  large,  even  with  the  youngest,  18  per  cent,  at  7  years.  "  I 
choose  America  or  Star  Spangled  Banner  because  it  is  our 
country's  song"  was  the  reason  given  most  often.  The  fact 
that  boys  show  greater  interest  in  history  than  girls  do,  probably 
has  some  connection  with  their  preference  for  national  songs. 
Among  the  Sandwich  Islanders  most  of  the  traditions  of  re- 
markable events  in  their  history  are  preserved  in  songs.  The 
Greenlanders  sing  of  their  exploits  in  the  chase  and  chant  the 
deeds  of  their  ancestors.  Among  some  of  the  dwarfs  of  Africa, 
songs  are  improvised  describing  certain  events,  but  one  has 
never  been  handed  down.  Throughout  Africa  we  find  a  sort 
of  wandering  minstrel  whose  vocation  is  the  glorification  of  the 
chief  whom  he  serves.  One  taught  the  village  youth  the  songs 
of  his  country. 

Spencer  says  that  national  airs  are  affected  by  the  natural 
intonations  of  speech.  The  intonation  of  the  Italians  is  varied 
and  expressive,  their  melody  free  and  flowing.  The  Scotch 
have  a  more  monotonous  mode  of  speech,  their  tunes,  too,  are 
more  monotonous.  But  among  savages  we  do  not  find  the 
same  parallel.  The  Samoans,  Fijians,  and  other  tribes  have  a 
pleasant  language  but  rude  music. 

ASSOCIATION. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  reasons  given  by  the  children 
is  "Association."  A  girl  of  10  says,  "I  think  my  favorite  is 
Swanee  River  because  I  have  lived  there  and  heard  it  sung  by 
an  old  Negro  quartette."  Another  girl  writes,  "The  Whip- 
poorwill  Song  reminds  me  of  my  country  home  which  brings 
only  pleasant  memories."  A  boy  of  8,  "I  like  Pretty  Robin 
because  in  summer  when  we  open  the  window,  he  sings.  A 
girl  of  10,  "  I  like  Jesus  my  Shepherd,  Home  Sweet  Home, 
and  In  the  Green  Woods,  because  mamma  used  to  sing  them 
to  me  when  I  was  small."  Association  with  home  is  very 
strong.  A  boy  of  11  writes,  "  I  like  best  I'm  a  Shepherd  of 
the  Valley  because  it  seems  like  the  mountains  where  I  used  to 


Musical  Interests  of  Children.  273 

live  and  where  the  sheep  used  to  be."  A  boy  of  15  says,  "  I 
like  Rocked  in  the  Cradle  of  the  Deep  because  it  reminds  me 
of  the  ocean  where  I  once  lived  for  four  years.""  With  the 
little  ones,  association  with  good  times  at  Christmas  and  at 
play  is  strong.  A  little  girl  of  6  says,  "  I  like  Who  is  that 
Kissing  Our  Baby,  because  I  have  a  baby  at  home."  A  girl 
of  18  writes  that  her  favorite  songs  are  darkey  melodies — the 
reason,  because  hearing  them  when  quite  young,  the  memory 
of  the  impression  she  received  still  lingers.  Many  gave  as  the 
reason  for  liking  a  song  that  they  had  heard  it  sung  by  a  good 
singer.  Association  with  the  sense  of  smell  I  found.  A  boy 
of  12  says,  "  I  like  the  song  of  the  Pansies  because  pansies  are 
sweet  to  smell."  Also  association  with  sound.  A  boy  of  7 
writes,  "  I  like  Jingle  Bells  because  it  seems  as  if  you  could 
hear  the  bells  jingling."  With  the  younger  ones  association 
with  self  was  noticeable.  "  I  like  the  song  of  George  Wash- 
inton  because  it  has  the  first  letter  in  my  name."  (George 
Avery.)  A  boy  of  6  says,  "I  like  Come  Children  Let  Us 
Sing,  because  it  says  cldldren  in  it."  A  boy  of  8,  "I  like 
What  was  the  Hotel  Worth '^  because  it  is  a  mail's  song." 
Burroughs  in  an  article  on  Bird  Music  in  the  March  ('98) 
Century  says:  "  Bird  songs  are  not  music  but  suggestions  of 
music.  The  little  ditty  of  the  first  song  sparrow  in  spring,  or 
the  call  of  the  first  meadow  lark  will  mean  nothing  as  music  if 
we  have  no  associations  with  these  sounds."  A  boy  of  15 
writes,  "  Upon  these  warm  spring  mornings  three  high  notes 
followed  by  a  canary-like  cadanza  piped  from  a  gloomy  swamp 
just  before  daylight,  gives  me  the  most  pleasure,  for  the  songster 
is  a  cheery  fellow  doing  his  best  to  welcome  spring, — Song 
Sparrow." 

Association  with  history  is  strong — about  2  per  cent,  pre- 
ferring national  songs  because  of  tlieir  association  with  events 
in  history,  as  the  writing  of  "  Star  Spangled  Banner"  at  Fort 
McHenry  and  "  Marching  Through  Georgia. "  Gurney  does 
not  believe  in  association,  but  says  that  when  an  historical  asso- 
ciation does  exceptionally  attach  itself  to  music  so  as  to  appeal 


274  Journal  ok  Pedagogy. 

to  the  iuiaginatioii,  it  is  iu  conuectioii  with  souie  ptirticular 
piece  of  music,  not  with  the  class  to  which  that  piece  belongs, — 
that  when  we  hear  Ein  feste  Burg  or  the  Marseillaise,  we  do 
not  feel  there  is  a  psalm  tune  or  that  is  a  march,  but  if  we  feel 
any  associated  interest  at  all  we  say  that  is  Luther's  psalm  tune — 
that  is  the  French  Revolutionary  March. 

Movement  or  motion  songs  form  a  small  per  cent,  among 
the  younger  children.  "  I  like  The  Flow  of  the  River  because 
I  like  to  see  a  river  flow."  A  little  kindergarten  girl  of  6 
says,  "  I  like  In  My  Little  Garden  Bed  because  the  motions 
are  pretty."  A  boy  of  12  says,  "  I  like  Star  Spangled  Banner 
because  it  makes  me  think  of  a  flag  waving."  Association  with 
the  life  of  people  appeared,  as,  "I  like  Swanee  River  because 
it  tells  how  the  people  live." 

There  was  a  large  number  who  chose  songs  because  "  they 
tell  something,"  or  are  "real"  or  "true."  A  boy  of  8  says, 
"  I  like  the  Corn  Song,  America  and  the  Dancing  Leaves  be- 
cause they  give  me  thoughts."  A  girl  of  16  writes,  "I  like 
best  Jerusalem,  because  when  I  am  singing  it  I  seem  to  see 
what  this  hymn  tells  about.  "Real"  forms  about  4  per  cent, 
of  their  rejisous.  Gurney  says,  "  That  music  is  popular  which 
arrests  people's  attention  and  when  heard  again  compels  their 
recognition, — not  that  whose  highest  success  is  to  please  the 
fancy  for  the  moment."  The  children's  idea  of  popular  music, 
however,  is  not  Gurney's  and  with  their  meaning  in  mind  I  have 
classified  some  of  their  songs,  about  1  per  cent,  as  popular. 
About  the  same  number  chose  songs  because  they  were  old. 
A  girl  of  15  says,  "  I  think  Abide  With  Me  is  one  of  my  favor- 
ite songs  because  it  is  one  of  the  songs  that  last,  it  is  not  sung 
a  short  time,  then  never  heard  of."  A  boy  of  14,  "  I  think 
old  songs  are  always  best  for  they  are  known  by  old  folks  and 
most  all  scholars." 

About  4  per  cent,  of  the  girls  and  2  per  cent,  of  the  boys 
chose  songs  because  they  were  religious.  A  boy  of  7  says,  "  I 
like  Jesus  Loves  Me,  'cause  I  know  he  does."  Another  boy  of 
7,    "I  like  Dropping  Pennies  because  I  like  to  give  pennies  to 


Musical  Interests  of  Children.  275 

Jesus."  A  girl  of  14  writes,  "I  like  Nearer,  My  God,  to  Thee 
for  the  words  and  for  another  reason  which  I  would  rather  not 
tell."  They  seem  less  able  to  express  their  reasons  for  choosing 
religious  songs  than  others.  A  boy  of  19,  "  I  like  Nearer,  My 
God,  to  Thee, — it  appeals  to  me  in  a  way  I  cannot  explain." 
A  girl  of  16  says,  "  I  like  The  Sailor's  Vision  because  the  per- 
son who  sang  it  seemed  to  feel  the  meaning  of  the  words  and 
music,  and  at  the  time  it  was  sung  it  suited  my  feelings." 
One  writer  makes  this  distinction  between  beautiful  and  un- 
beautiful  music:  "  We  may  call  beautiful  or  not  certain  bits 
of  music  which  at  a  particular  stage  of  one's  development  give 
him  the  characteristic  pleasure  and  those  which  do  not."  A 
boy  of  18  expresses  well  what  some  of  the  others  seem  to  feel: 
<'  I  cannot  answer  the  question  directly,  I  think  it  depends 
upon  our  mood  whether  we  enjoy  one  song  more  than  another." 
Some  of  the  children  express  quite  strongly  the  effect  certain 
music  has  upon  them.  "I  Know  that  My  Redeemer  Liveth, 
from  Handel's  Messiah  is  one  of  my  favorite  songs.  The  har- 
mony in  this  song  is  very  grand.  When  it  is  sung  by  excellent 
soprano  it  makes  me  freezing  cold  from  chills  running  down 
my  back.  I  also  think  that  the  Pilgrims'  Chorus  from  Tann- 
hauser  is  very  grand.  I  want  to  stand  on  my  tiptoes  when  it 
is  sung," — this  is  from  a  boy  of  16.  In  this  connection  it  is 
interesting  to  notice  some  of  the  ways  in  which  Primitive  peo- 
ple are  affected  by  music.  Burchell,  a  traveler,  says:  "Music 
softened  all  their  passions,  lulled  them  into  a  mild  and  tranquil 
state,  in  which  no  evil  thoughts  approached  the  mind. "  Among 
savages  the  influence  of  music  is  more  noticeable  than  among 
people  in  higher  states  of  civilization.  It  may  not  be  stronger 
or  deeper,  but  it  is  brought  to  light  in  a  more  natural  way. 
That  music  is  the  direct  and  immediate  effect  of  the  feelings  of 
the  moment  is  plainly  seen  among  both  savage  and  civilized 
people.  Gurney  says,  "  I  have  no  right  to  accuse  one  who 
admires  what  seems  to  me  feeble  music,  of  having  his  moral 
nature  enervated  thereby.  We  see  all  sorts  of  people  caring 
for  all  sorts  of   music,  but  the  good  obtained  comes  from  the 


276  Journal  of  Pedagogy. 

use  made  of  the  pleasure.  There  are  two  points  respecting  the 
enjoyment  of  sound.  On  the  one  hand  coarse  and  uncultivated 
natures  seem  capable  of  getting  enjoyment  from  sounds  which 
are  distressing  to  others.  On  the  other  hand  there  is  no  doubt 
that  a  set  of  East  end  roughs  would  instantly  discover  the  differ- 
ence between  a  perfectly  beautiful  and  a  moderately  good  so- 
prano voice,  that  is,  they  show  when  they  get  a  chance  a  dis- 
criminative delicacy  of  color,  sense,  unparalleled  in  any  other 
region  of  their  sensations."  Gurney  thinks  it  would  be 
extremely  interesting  to  know  if  this  taste  in  sound  would  be 
found  among  savages.  Chorley,  in  his  National  Music  of  the 
World,  refers  to  a  visit  of  some  Persian  princes  to  England 
some  twenty-five  years  ago.  They  took  small  pleasure  in  the 
opera  and  its  singers.  He  believes  these  orientals  cannot  ap- 
preciate beauty  of  vocal  tone  in  others. 

At  one  time  the  Marseillaise  was  sung  before  an  Australi- 
an family.  At  first  they  seemed  confused,  then  listened  atten- 
tively, then  uttered  exclamations  of  rapture.  Who  shall  say 
that  the  brilliancy  of  this  National  air  did  not  strike  a  respon- 
sive chord  i  Light  airs  sung  afterward  moved  them  but  little. 
These  people  probably  could  not  have  told  why  they  liked  this 
particular  song. 

Mendelssohn  says,  "What  any  music  I  like  expresses  for 
me  is  not  thoughts  too  indefinite  to  clothe  in  words,  but  too 
definite.  If  you  asked  me  what  I  thought  of  a  song,  I  should 
say  the  song  itself  as  it  stands.  If  I  had  in  mind  definite  words 
I  would  not  utter  them  to  a  soul,  because  vjords  do  not  mean 
for  me  what  they  mean  for  another, — the  song  alone  can  say  to 
me,  can  awake  in  him  the  same  feeling  it  can  in  another  but 
feelings  not  to  be  expressed  by  the  same  words." 

The  way  one  hears  music  probably  affects  its  influence. 
The  perception  of  beautiful  quality  of  tone  has  no  connection 
with  general  stimulation  and  is  a  matter  of  the  more  delicate 
part  of  the  ear.  This  would  seem  to  prove  that  different  parts 
of  the  ear  are  appropriated  to  noises  and  to  tones.  We  some- 
times call  unmusical   those  in  whom  a  musical  ear  is  lacking  or 


Musical  Interests  of  Children.  277 

is  not  perfectly  developed,  who  therefore  ciiunot  reproduce  or 
perhaps  recognize  melodies.  Such  persons  can  often  derive 
great  pleasure  from  fine  sound,  especially  from  organ  music. 
The  study  of  the  children's  papers  has  convinced  me  that  music 
exists  only  inside  the  perceiving  subject;  it  is  not  beautiful  in 
itself. 

Grant  Allen  gives  an  interesting  case  of  note-deafness. 
A  young  man  of  30  who  had  never  taken  n)uch  interest  in 
music,  began  to  suspect  some  physical  malformation  as  the  basis. 
He  was  not  able  to  distinguish  between  two  different  notes;  in 
an  octave  he  saw  a  little  difference;  between  the  highest  and 
lowest  notes  on  the  piano,  he  could  distinguish  unless  the  notes 
were  played  in  succession.  His  ear  was  very  sensitive  to  non- 
musical  noises,  as  the  scraping  of  a  violin.  This  sensitiveness 
served  him  as  timbre  to  recognize  difference  in  voices.  A  piano 
was  a  musical  tone  plus  a  thud  and  a  sound  of  wire-works,  a 
violin,  a  musical  tone  plus  a  scraping  of  resin.  He  could  not 
sing  a  note  correctly.  Dissonance  was  no  more  unpleasant 
than  consonance.  In  his  ear  the  organs  which  in  the  normal 
ear  are  tuaed  in  harmony  with  a  limited  range  of  tones  and 
vibrate  in  sympathy  with  waves  having  the  same  rate  of  oscilla- 
tion, were  badly  tuned, — the  notes  near  each  other  did  not 
arouse  different  sensations,  they  both  stimulated  the  same  fibres. 

Galton  contrived  a  whistle  for  ascertaining  the  upper  lim- 
its of  audible  sounds  in  different  persons.  He  found  a  remark- 
able falling  off  in  the  power  of  hearing  notes  as  age  advanced. 
He  tried  animals  in  the  Zoological  Gardens  in  London — found 
cats  possessed  the  greatest  power  of  hearing.  Small  dogs  could 
hear  high  notes,  large  ones  could  not.  His  attempts  on  insects 
failed.  Binet  calls  the  problem  of  colored  audition  a  puzzle,  yet 
he  says  12  per  cent,  of  the  people  possess  it.  Baritone  and 
bass  voices  excite  dark  sensations,  high  voices,  light. 

The  vowels  have  most  color,  the  consonants  appear  faded. 
In  most  test  cases  a  is  given  as  red.  One  lady  saw  green  when 
she  heard  Haydn,  blue  when  she  heard  Mozart,  yellow  on  hear- 
ing  Chopin,  and   changes  of   color  when  she   heard  Wagner. 


278  Journal  of  Pedagogy. 

Another  has  musical  visions, — when  she  hears  an  oboe  she  sees 
a  white  pyramid,  on  hearing  a  'cello  or  trumpet  she  sees  a  flat 
undulating  ribbon  of  white  fibres.  In  an  orchestra,  when  the 
violins  strike  up,  she  sees  a  shower  of  white  dust.  It  is  said 
that  some  people  when  they  hear  music,  see  beautiful  changing 
mosaics,  the  patterns  of  which  have  definite  connections  with 
the  musical  chords. 

THE    KEY. 

In  the  children'spapers  the  preference  for  certain  keys  was 
noticeable.  Minor  songs  have  the  preference  with  a  few.  One 
girl  writes  that  her  choice  is  minor  songs,  though  she  gives  no 
reason.  It  has  been  thought  that  many  of  the  savage  tribes 
sing  in  a  minor  key,  but  it  is  difficult  to  say  whether  they  use 
this  more  than  the  major  key, — it  depends  upon  the  race  or 
perhaps  upon  the  country.  Bancroft  says  that  among  the  na- 
tives of  Southern  Mexico,  their  jolly  songs  are  sad  and  their 
merriest  songs  melancholy,  that  is,  they  appear  so  to  us.  The 
same  key  expresses  to  different  people  very  different  ideas.  In 
Australia  most  of  their  singing  is  in  the  woods  and  the  music  is 
in  harmony  with  the  sombre  nature  of  the  country. 

The  appearance  of  minor  chords  in  savage  music  is  of  great 
importance  as  it  was  thought  people  did  not  use  minor  chords 
till  the  18th  century. 

"  The  study  of  the  musical  scale,"  says  G urn ey,  "gives 
a  concise  means  of  judging  of  the  musical  state  of  a  nation.'' 
Even  in  the  rudest  forms  of  music  there  was  a  scale.  At  first 
the  use  of  intervals  less  than  a  tone  was  avoided.  During 
the  stone  age  the  instruments  had  a  succession  of  tones  corres- 
ponding to  a  part  of  our  diatonic  scale.  Many  Australians  use 
quarter  tones,  the  Arabs  have  seventeen  notes  within  the  octave 
and  they  distinguish  strictly  between  sharps  and  flats.  Engel 
believes  the  pentatonic  scale  easiest  for  children  and  primitive 
people,  since  he  considers  it  founded  on  the  natural  structure  of 
our  vocal  organs. 

Waterhouse  went  back  to  the  animal  kingdom  and 
found  a  gibbon  singing  the  chromatic  scale,  affecting  the  de- 


Musical  Inteeests  of  Children.  279 

scent  with  great  precision.  One  writer  noticed  a  bird  which 
sang  from  eight  to  twelve  notes  down  the  chromatic  scale,  the 
last  ones  prolonged  as  if  meditating. 

Simeon  Pease  Cheney  in  his  book,  Wood  Notes  Wild, 
Notations  of  Bird  Music,  gives  numerous  illustrations  of  the 
melody  of  birds'  songs.  He  says  their  music  is  akin  to  our  own, 
the  same  intervals  are  used,  those  of  the  major  and  minor  keys. 

Gurney  believes  that  given  a  good  ear  and  similar  chances 
of  becoming  early  familiar  with  the  same  music,  two  persons 
however  widely  they  may  be  separated  in  other  respects  of 
character  and  intellect,  will  have  a  similarity  of  perception  and 
taste  for  music.  Then  we  should  consider  what  songs  to  teach 
children.  I  do  not  wonder  that  as  children  grow  older  and 
have  other  music  to  choose  from,  they  do  not  select  school 
songs, — many  of  them  are  not  worth  remembering.  Fortunate- 
ly, bad  music  lacks  durability.  Street  music  may  be  in  bad 
taste,  but  people  take  what  they  can  get. 

In  Pedagogical  Review  l)r.  Peissman  of  Wiesbaden  says: 
"  Folk  songs  are  best  of  all  for  children.  Music  should  fit  the 
mood,  do  not  teach  spring  songs  in  the  fall.  Christianity  and 
the  Reformation  sang  themselves  into  the  hearts  of  the  people. 
The  whole  soul  grows  large  and  strong  under  the  God-idea 
expressed  in  music  really  inspired  by  religious  feeling. "  Becker 
writes  from  Berlin:  "  The  child  should  take  as  large  a  collection 
as  possible  of  folk-songs  from  school.  The  first  stage  should 
be  by  ear.  Thirty  songs  and  one  hundred  chorales  by  heart, 
are  better  for  most  children  than  all  the  power  to  read  music 
that  the  school  can  give.  Notes  should  come  in  the  middle  of 
the  grammar  school  course,  but  singing  should  come  at  the 
beginning.  Home.,  School.^  Chitrch^  State,  JVrcticm, — the  song 
sliould  fit  the  child's  heart  and  mind."  First  musical  impressions 
are  most  important.  The  songs  heard  in  the  home  may  influ- 
ence the  whole  life. 

THE    OKIGIN    OF    MUSIC. 

"  It  is  with  music  as  with  language,  however  far  we  may 
descend  in  the  order  of  primitive  people,  we  shall  probably  find 


260  Journal  of  Pedagogy. 

no  race  which  does  not  exhibit  some  trace  of  musical  aptitude 
and  sutMcient  understanding  to  turn  it  to  account."  Every- 
where in  Asia  civilization  has  so  influenced  it  that  very  few 
traces  of  original  music  are  to  be  found,  but  Chinese  music  is 
of  most  importance.  One  writer  who  attempted  to  study  ancient 
Indian  music  decided  that  it  was  lost,  though  a  few  pastoral 
songs  may  remain. 

Mohammed  taught  that  music  was  an  expedient  of  the  Evil 
One  to  ruin  mankind.  Doubtless  this  had  some  influence  upon 
his  followers,  but  many  Arabs  consider  themselves  the  natural 
successors  of  Orpheus. 

In  Europe  the  Jews  and  gipsies  are  usually  considered  to 
possess  the  most  ancient  music.  Liszt  says  all  Hungarian 
national  music  is  pure  gipsy  music.  Other  writers  declare  it  is 
borrowed  or  stolen  from  anywhere  and  everywhere.  One 
says  that  the  law  of  accent  of  the  PInngarian  music  is  the  same 
as  that  of  the  Hungarian  language  and  is  opposed  to  the  accent 
of  the  ancient  gipsy  language. 

In  South  America  the  best  examples  of  primitive  music 
are  found  in  Tierra  del  Fuego;  in  North  America  among  the 
North  American  Indians,  and  Eskimos  whom  Nansen  calls  as- 
tonishingly musical  people.  As  to  the  Negro  of  North  America 
much  of  their  music  is  in  imitation  of  the  European,  but  has  a 
wealth  of  melody. 

In  Africa  and  Australia  and  the  Islands  of  the  Pacific  there 
have  been  found  many  traces  of  primitive  music.  It  cannot 
be  entirely  lost  since  we  have  the  writings  of  so  many  travelers 
who  were  the  first  Europeans  to  enter  strange  countries.  Among 
the  Damaras  in  southern  Africa  the  highest  idea  of  musical  per- 
formance consists  in  the  imitation  of  galloping  horses.  Stanley, 
in  "  Dai'kest  Africa"  speaks  of  the  enjoyment  he  derived  from 
the  music  of  the  Wanyamwezi  and  thinks  they  would  gratify  an 
English  audience.  In  Madagascar,  though  passionately  fond 
of  music,  the  natives  have  produced  no  work.  The  general 
character  of  African  music  is  preference  for  rhythm  over  mel- 


Musical   Interests  of  Children.  281 

ody,  the  union  of  song  and  dance,  physical  exertion  and  physi- 
cal excitement  accompanying. 

Among  the  Papuans  there  exists  a  sort  of  Meistersinger 
school,  accoi'ding  to  whose  rules  certain  songs  may  be  sung 
only  by  persons  of  certain  rank.  Physicians  attend  their  pa 
tients  to  the  accompaniment  of  music.  So  much  is  it  believed 
to  aid  in  the  cure  of  the  sick  that  convalescents  are  directed  to 
sing  several  hours  each  day 

Woman's  first  achievement  in  music  was  the  monotone, 
many  voices  in  monotone  led  to  unison,  finally  to  melody. 
Women  took  a  prominent  part  in  all  primitive  music.  Most 
of  the  Japanese  songs  are  sung  by  girls.  Among  many  tribes 
the  dancing  is  done  by  the  women.  They  took  the  priiicipal 
part  not  only  in  the  reproduction  but  in  the  production  of 
music.     Here  is  a  lullaby  from  a  Luni  mother: 


I. 
Little  maid-child  ! 
Little  sweet  one ! 
Little  girl. 
Though  a  baby, 
Soon  a-playing 
With  a  baby 
Will  be  going. 
Little  maid-child 
Little  woman  so  delightful, 
So  delightful ! 

It  has  been  frequently  observed  among  these  people  that 
the  male  voices  are  exceedingly  high.  Up  the  Niger  and  its 
branches  the  prevailing  voice  among  men  is  high  baritone, 
among  the  women,  contralto.  Among  the  male  voices  in  a 
Hottentot  chorus  not  a  baritone  was  heard,  every  one  sang 
tenor. 

Mr.  Berg  imagines  that  the  male  voice  was  formerly 
higher  than  now,  and  relates  as  analagous  to  this  that  our  boys 
also  have  at  first  high  voices  which  g-cquire  the  deep  tones  of  a 


II. 

Little  man-child  ! 
Little  man-child  ! 
Little  boy. 
Though  a  baby, 
Soon  a-hunting 
After  rabbits 
Will  be  going. 
Little  man-child 
Little  man-child  so  delightful, 
So  delightful  ! 


282  Journal  of  Pedagogy. 

man  after  mutation.  Wallaschek  does  not  believe  in  this 
analogy,  as  then  the  voices  of  savages  should  have  been  female 
voices,  since  boys'  voices  fall  from  the  alto  or  soprano  to  bass  or 
tenor.  He  attributes  the  high  pitch  of  their  voices  to  excite- 
ment. 

As  to  the  origin  of  music  Darwin  believes  that  musical 
notes  and  rhythm  were  first  used  by  the  progenitors  of  mankind 
for  the  sake  of  charming  the  opposite  sex.  He  notes  the  power 
of  music  to  excite  emotions  of  tenderness,  of  triumph,  and  ardor 
of  war.  He  claims  that  greater  intensity  of  feeling  may  be 
concentrated  in  a  single  musical  note  than  in  pages  of  writing. 
Spencer  claims  that  song  is  developed  from  emotional  speech, 
thereby  agreeing  with  Darwin.  He  says  that  since  music 
awakens  in  us  dormant  sentiments  of  which  we  had  not  con- 
ceived the  possibility  and  do  not  know  the  meaning,  these  sen- 
sations appear  like  mental  reversions  to  the  emotions  and 
thoughts  of  a  long  past  age.  But  because  so  long  a  time  has 
elapsed  we  may  believe  the  power  of  music  to  have  become 
sublimated,  as  it  were,  out  of  the  coarse  excitements, — love, 
emulation,  war, — present  during  the  earlier  stages,  to  higher 
emotions  which  we  may  not  be  able  to  explain.  The  use  of 
the  voice  as  a  means  of  pleasure  preceded  its  use  for  purposes 
of  communication.  Spencer  gives  the  following  extract  from 
a  traveler  in  Hungary:  "Music  is  an  instinct  with  these  Hun- 
garian gipsies.  They  play  by  ear  but  with  marvelous  pre- 
cision. Compositions  of  their  own  seem  an  utterance  of  a 
people's  history.  There  is  a  low  wail  of  sorrow,  then  a  sense 
of  defeat,  then  a  wild  burst  of  exultation.  They  become  com- 
pletely intoxicated  with  this  music." 

Wallaschek  does  not  agree  with  Darwin  and  Spencer  that 
music  grew  out  of  speech.  He  believes  it  impossible  to  say 
what  music  expresses  except  in  music.  He  objects  to  Darwin's 
theory  that  the  bird's  love  song  was  original  music,  and  that 
the  agreeable  feelings  which  accompanied  it  were  transmitted 
through  heredity  to  further  generations,  thus  accounting  for 
inan's  pleasure  in  music,       Hudson,  in   "The  Naturalist  in  the 


Musical  Interests  of  Children.  283 

La  Plata,"  gives  many  illustrations  of  birds  assembling  for 
dances  and  concerts.  He  has  noticed  that  the  song  of  the 
male  bird  during  pairing  season  is  feeble  and  sketchy,  his  sing- 
ing being  accompanied  by  love  antics.  After  the  mate  is 
chosen  his  songs  are  more  melodious.  After  all  his  observa- 
tion and  study  he  says:  "The  conscious  sexual  selection  on  the 
part  of  the  female  is  not  the  cause  of  music  and  dancing  per- 
formances in  birds,  nor  of  the  brighter  colors  and  ornaments 
that  distinguish  the  male." 

Wallaschek  believes  that  music  arises  from  rhythmical  im- 
pulse and  gives  as  his  reasons:  "1.  There  is  no  speech  in 
songs.  2.  The  monotone  could  not  arise  from  modulation  of 
voice  in  emotional  speech, — the  sense  of  time  was  developed 
long  before  melody.  3.  Music  is  the  expression  of  emotion, 
speech  is  the  expression  of  thought :  music  stands  to  speech  as 
drawing  to  writing. 

Gurney  believes  that  the  vocal  expression  of  a  particular 
emotion  came  first,  and  from  this  proceeded  vocal  expression 
of  emotion  in  general.  He  also  believes  that  the  idealized 
rendering  of  emotion  is  the  vital  element  in  emotion.  Sully 
does  not  accept  this,  but  claims  that  melody  is  the  essential 
part  of  music  and  melody  is  a  fusion  of  rhythm  and  pitch. 

To  sum  up  the  elements  of  greatest  importance  in  the 
musical  development  of  the  child,  we  find  they  are  time  or 
rhythm,  love  of  home,  love  of  coiintry,  melody,  religious 
sentiment.  The  same  qualities  appear  in  the  musical  de- 
velopment of  savage  tribes.  I  place  rhythm  first  for  it 
seems  to  me  music  had  its  origin  therein.  The  play-instinct 
of  animals,  the  dance-instinct  of  primitive  people,  the  play 
and  dancing  movements  of  little  children  are  all  rhyth- 
mical. Since  it  is  the  accepted  theory  that  the  devel- 
opment of  the  race  is  in  many  ways  repeated  in  that  of  tho 
child,  it  may  readily  be  accepted  as  true  in  the  growth  of  music. 

Let  me  give  in  closing  the  words  of  Jean  Paul  Richter : 
"Music,  the  only  fine  art  in  which  man  and  all  classes  of  ani- 
mals,   spiders,    mice,    elephants,    fish,    amphibious    creatures, 


284  Journal  of  Pedagogy. 

birds, — have  a  coinniunity  of  goods,  must  ceaselessly  affect  the 

child  who  is  the  spiritual  and  the  brute  beast  united.     Music, 

rather  than  poetry,  should  be  called    'the  happy  art.'      She 

imparts  to  children  nothing  but  heaven,  for  as  yet  they  have 

not  lost  it,  and  lay  no  memories  as  mufflers  on  the  clear  sounds.*' 

Fanny  B.   Gates. 
West  Springfield,  Mass. 


PREPARATION  FOR  THE  TEACHING  OF 
SECONDARY    ENGLISH.-^ 

There  is  much  that  would  be  desirable  in  the  special  studies 
and  training  of  the  English  teacher,  but  into  that  boundless 
field  we  have  no  call  at  this  moment  to  enter;  I  shall  confine 
myself  here  to  that  which  I  deem  essential. 

"First,  catch  your  hare^."  A  fair  teacher  of  some  subjects 
can  be  made  out  of  indifferent  material.  Not  so  in  English. 
A  person  lean-souled  by  nature,  juiceless,  arid,  pinched, 
spiritually  wizened,  may  be  normalized  and  academized  till  his 
trainers  have  come  to  the  end  of  their  resources,  and  only  be 
more  arid,  and  wizened,  and  sapless,  and  mechanical,  and  use- 
less, as  the  result  of  it  all.  You  can  not  get  blood  out  of  a  turnip; 
you  need  not  expect  to  make  the  right  sort  of  English  teacher 
out  of  anything  but  choice  stock.  The  machine-made  article  is 
a  very  fair  imitation  of  the  genuine  thing;  but  all  it  can  do  is 
to  perpetuate  and  glorify  the  tradition  of  the  soullessly  mechani- 
cal, the  virtues  of  the  siniulacrum,  the  agility  of  pasteboard 
puppets  dancing  to  wires.  Let  us  perpetuate  and  glorify  as 
little  of  this  as  possible.  In  what  I  am  going  to  say  I  shall 
assume  that  the  neophyte  is  worthy  of  his  training. 

Another  word  by  way  of  preface.  I  shall  not  attempt  to 
outline  a  systematic  course  of  preparation,  nor  to  indicate  in 
what  order  the  several  disciplines  shall  be  pureued.  Personal- 
ly, I  think  it  doesn't  greatly  matter.     What  matters  is  that  you 

*Read  before  the  Regents'  Convocation,  Albany,  N.  V.,  J\iue  27,  1898. 


SYRACUSE  UNIVERSITY 


Four  Colleges. 

Elegant  Buildings. 

i,ioo  Students. 

lai  Professors  and  Instructors. 

The  College  of  Liberal  Arts 

Offers  Classical,  Philosophical,  Science,  Pedagogical,  Civil  Engineering  and 
Electrical  Engineering  Courses. 

The  College  of  Tine  Arts 

Has  Courses  in  Architecture,  Belles  Lettres,  Music  and  Painting. 

The  College  of  Medicine 

One  of  the  oldest  in  the  state,  has  a  four  years'  course. 

Chancellor  Upson  of  the  Regents,  unsolicited,  says:   "It  is  admitted  by  all 

competent  judges  to  be  unsurpassed  in  this  state." 

The  College  of  Law 

Gives  instruction  chiefly  from  text-books.  On  its  faculty  are  some  of  the 
greatest  lawyers  of  New  York.  Instruction  is  by  successful  lawyers  in 
actual  practice. 

Twenty-Six 

Of  the  leading  Universities  and  Colleges  of  this  country  and  Europe  are 
represented  on  the  Faculty  of  the  College  of  Liberal  Arts.  Only  the  highest 
talent  to  be  found  at  home  and  abroad  is  permitted  to  give  instruction  in 
Fine  Arts.  The  Work  is  so  arranged  that  students  taking  both  their  college 
and  medical  courses  at  Syracuse  save  one  year's  time,  completing  both 
courses  in  seven  years.  Similar  advantages  will  be  offered  to  law  students 
next  year.  Pedagogical  courses  have  been  adopted,  giving  our  students  the 
advantage  of  first-grade  State  Teachers'  Certificates,  formerly  granted  only 
to  graduates  of  the  State  Normal  Schools.  Both  sexes  are  admitted.  Liberal 
elections  are  allowed.     Expenses  are  moderate.     Send  for  catalogues. 


JAMES  ROSCOE  DAY,  S.  T.  D.,  LL.  D., 

Syracuse,  N.  Y.  Chancellor. 


WEBER 


PIANOS 


The  same  Intelligence  and  Solidity  of  Construction,  Pure 


^  Musical  and  Sympathetic  Tone,  combined  with  Greatest  Power, 

^  which  have  characterized  the  WEBER  since  its  complete  tri- 

^  umph  over  all  competition  in  J  876,  are  marked  in  even  a  greater     M 

p[  degree  in  the 

WEBER  of  To-Day. 

WAREROOMS: 
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